Second person arraigned in home invasion

Updated 9:59 am, Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Staff reports

STAMFORD -- A city teenager accused of helping two others in an armed home invasion more than two weeks ago pleaded not guilty to numerous felony charges during his first appearance at state Superior Court in Stamford on Monday.

Patrick Thaqi, 16, of 44 Ryan St., Stamford, pleaded not guilty to charges of carrying a pistol without a permit, two counts each of home invasion and first-degree robbery and eight counts of first-degree unlawful restraint.

Because of the seriousness of the charges, Thaqi, who was initially placed on the juvenile docket, had his case moved to the court's adult docket. He remained held in lieu of $750,000 bond.

Thaqi's defense attorney, Christian Bujdud said, "Certain facts of the case are in dispute were are in the process of investigating the file now and getting more info the state."

While the Thaqi's arrest affidavit remains sealed until a third man wanted in the alleged home invasion is still at large, statements by the husband and wife victims were placed in Thaqi's court file Monday.

On the early evening on Nov. 16, an 18-year-old man living in a 956 Hope St. apartment said he was attacked as he stepped out of an elevator that led to a parking lot at the apartment building, the statement said. The man's name is being withheld because he is a victim in the case.

The man, 18, said as he walked out of the elevator, he spotted Thaqi, who is a newly installed firefighter, according to the Springdale Volunteer Fire Department's website. The man said he knew Thaqi from high school and would see him from time to time in the neighborhood, police said.

Someone then punched the victim on the left side of the face and threatened to kill him if he didn't give him "all the money," the man told police.

The person who threw the punch, later identified as Thaqi's co-defendant, Mikey Gjuraj, 22, also of Stamford, then pushed him into an elevator with a third man, all three pointing guns at him, the Hope Street man said in a the statement.

At first, the man wasn't sure what Thaqi was doing there, he said in his statement to police.

"Patrick has to be a part of this because at no time did he try to help me. Also that he had a gun in his hand. I never knew Patrick was like this. He also had many opportunities to either run away or help me. Patrick never said anything to me as this was going down," he said in his statement.

In the elevator, Gjuraj took the man's wallet, containing $1,000 that he was about to use for his apartment rent, while repeating that he is going to kill him, the statement said.

After the three brought the man back to his apartment, they threw him to the floor along with a visiting friend, and then grabbed the man's wife, who was hiding in the bedroom, police said. The men also began lifting up ceiling tiles in the apartment apparently looking for something, he said to police.

When the couple's 4-month-old baby began crying in the bedroom, Gjuraj grabbed the girl while holding a gun, according to the statement to police. The man said Gjuraj told him if he did not give him money or drugs, he was going to kill the baby girl, his statement said. The victim then grabbed the baby from Gjuraj and gave her to his wife, who had been pulled into the living room.

Gjuraj then allegedly pulled the Hope Street man back into the bedroom and, while holding him face-down on the floor, put a gun to his head and threatened him. During the incident Gjuraj

"I keep telling him he had the wrong guy. I can see he had already ransacked the room. He walked out of the room and a few seconds later I heard the door shut," the husband said in his statement. He then called police.

The victim said the third man, who has not yet been found by police, was 23 or 24 years old, police said.

Thaqi is to return to court on Jan. 4. Gjuraj, who is free on $750,000 bond and has pleaded not guilty to charges against him, is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 17.